Aseitas is:Zack - DrumsGage - GuitarTravis – GuitarNathan – Bass/VocalsMIRP:How long have you been together?Aseitas:We began rehearsing in early 2016.MIRP:How do you pronounce the name of your band?Aseitas:Ah-say-tahs.MIRP:Where did the name come from?Aseitas:The name is Latin for the concept of independence and being able to exist within oneself. We've chosen to independently operate as many aspects of this band as possible (including booking, promoting, and recording) with minimal external influences.MIRP:How did you meet and decide to form?Aseitas:We all met at the Portland School of Rock in 2010 while taking lessons. It took a couple of years for our relationships to fully develop, but in 2016 the four of us decided that we needed to play music that we truly wanted to hear. We had been playing together in other acts for years prior to the formation of Aseitas, but this band marks the culmination of our creative and entrepreneurial efforts.MIRP:Individually, which bands have you been a part of in the past?Aseitas:Any bands that our members have since departed from are an obsolete point of discussion. We’re only looking forward at this point.MIRP:Any other bands you are currently in?Aseitas:Ape Cave currently features Nathan on lead vocals and Gage on bass/co-lead vocals, and LiquidLight features Zack on drums and Gage on bass.MIRP:Describe the music to someone who has never heard it?Aseitas:Traditional death metal infused with elements of modern mathcore, black metal, and doom metal.MIRP:Someone in the band must be a fan of Dream Theater, Fates Warning, Extol?Aseitas:We all listened to more progressive metal when we were younger (Travis and Zack were likely the biggest fans of it), but we’ve collectively moved on to other musical tastes. Semblances of the genre still find their way into our music, but only in the subtlest ways.MIRP:What inspired you to pick up your individual instruments?Aseitas:We were all frequently exposed to music by our families while growing up, so it’s always played a big part in our lives. Learning how to recreate the music we were so fond of was the logical progression, and it was only a matter of time before our passion for it drove us to begin performing our own material.MIRP:Who are you liking in new music today?Aseitas:Car Bomb, CB Murdoc, Gorguts, and Plebeian Grandstand all released phenomenal albums last year.MIRP:Is it hard to break into the Portland music scene?Aseitas:Yes and no. There is a massive saturation of bands in the current scene, which enables promoters to keep a constant revolving door of bands and shows going at any time. Through one lens, there are usually plenty of opportunities to perform - but through the other, it’s hard to consistently find shows where your sound is going to be appreciated. Curating your own shows is the best way to go.MIRP:How important is Reverb Nation, Facebook, Bandcamp, and videos to music today? Aseitas:These platforms mean everything to up-and-coming bands. We’ve found that Bandcamp, Facebook, and music videos should all take the highest priority in terms of audience engagement and reach. To us, putting your content out for free is necessary if you don’t want to get lost in the chaos that is online media, and because music should be shared freely for all to enjoy.MIRP:Is it important to get signed in today’s market?Aseitas:It depends on what a band’s goals are. If exercising full artistic rights is the exclusive desire of the band and they are able to fund themselves, then being signed is likely not a good option. We plan on remaining on our own label Simian Song for the foreseeable future.MIRP:Who would you most like to share the stage with?Aseitas:Car Bomb, CB Murdoc, Gorguts, YOB, Plebeian Grandstand, Cattle Decapitation, Revocation, and Suffocation are just a few of the bands we would love to perform alongside.MIRP:What goes into making a 13-minute song. What makes the song need that length?Aseitas:While long songs might be a turnoff for a vast majority of listeners, we enjoy the journey that they have the potential to take you on. Music is the best way to lose yourself and sometimes a particularly strong emotion or headspace that a piece is trying to share can take more time to be fully expressed. In our case, we write until we know that the emotion has sufficient breathing room, whether it takes three minutes or thirteen minutes. It’s not easy and we are constantly revising our songs with every passing live show. You have to personally gauge how the song feels to play as well as how others react to it.MIRP:What is new for Aseitas in 2017?Aseitas:We will be releasing our debut album before summer. Prior to that, we’ll continue performing in Portland, then afterwards we have plans to tackle more of Oregon and Washington, followed by a couple stops in California. After this initial touring cycle is complete, we imagine we’ll be back in the studio before the year ends.You can find out more about Aseitas at:https://www.facebook.com/aseitasband and https://aseitas.bandcamp.com/releases